basketball and MLB misc.

First of all, an article about Notre Dame basketball player Luke Zeller playing with an Athletes In Action team in Australia in August, along with Matt Hall (Texas-Pan Am), Jay R. Strowbridge (Nebraska), Jason Holsinger (Evansville), Josh Carter (Texas A&M), Wes Johnson (Iowa State), Jay Watkins (San Francisco), Jimmy Graham (Miami, Fla.), Ray Shafer (Oregon), and Michael Niemi (Southern Methodist). Here's the article: http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062007aad.html.

Here's a quote from Nationals 1st baseman Dmitri Young about his troubles last season and his comeback this season:

Dig long enough, and sooner or later, you might uncover a gem. That's what Jim Bowden did in Cincinnati, where gambles on such players as Pete Schourek, Ron Gant, Pete Harnisch and Kevin Mitchell paid off for the Reds. Now Bowden has struck gold again in Washington with another successful reclamation project, in Dmitri Young. After being released by the Tigers near the end of the 2006 season -- a year in which he was going through a divorce, given a one-year probation for domestic violence as well as being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes -- Young has made a remarkable return to the Major Leagues. He is currently the Nationals' leading hitter, with a .385 batting average and .387 on-base percentage. On Sunday he was named to the All-Star team.

"This is a great feeling," Young said. "I've come full circle, and this pretty much made it official. Let this be a lesson to people who deal with adversity, that you never quit. Keep fighting, believe in the Lord, keep working and day by day, you can realize dreams."

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070703&content_id=2064121&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Next, an article about how the firing of Reds manager Jerry Narron won't effect the assistant coach job of his brother Johnny Narron or his mentorship with Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton (all Christians): http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070703&content_id=2065155&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Also, an article about the Yankees recent trip to Walter Reid Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., while the team was playing in Baltimore. Those that went were Johnny Damon, Andy Phillips (a Christian), Chris Basak, Andy Pettitte (a Christian), Scott Proctor, and Ron Villone. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070704&content_id=2066590&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Sunday night I watched the Padres/Braves game on ESPN, and during the game ESPN's Peter Gammons interviewed Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, a Christian. Gammons asked Peavy what was the difference in his pitching between last year and this year, and Peavy said it was because he has been healthy this year, unlike last year. Peavy said that this year he's been "blessed with good health. The good Lord's had his hand on me this year." I thought that was so cool.

Lastly, I found another Christian athletes website, this time former NBA player A.C. Green: http://www.acgreen.com/.